Phil Alvin - UnSung Stories (1986) - VINYL - 24-bit/96kHz plus CD-compatible format

Sort of a swan song for The Blasters, Phil Alvin's solo album went the direction that "Hard Line" was pointing him to. It was hard to see at the time, but in hindsight it's a bit more clear. Is Phil the Tom Waits of Elvis Presleys?

Sort of a swan song for The Blasters, Phil Alvin's solo album went the direction that "Hard Line" was pointing him to. It was hard to see at the time, but in hindsight it's a bit more clear. Is Phil the Tom Waits of Elvis Presleys?
Great album cover too, btw. Hope the pics give you some justice. Phil kept them going, doing live shows from time to time. Even some CD's later on.


Allmusic:
Review by Mark Deming
Songwriter and guitarist Dave Alvin was the heart of the Blasters, one of America's greatest roots rock bands, but his brother, vocalist Phil Alvin, was the soul of the group, and anyone who wants a crash course on the importance of Phil's contribution to that fine band ought to check out his first solo album, Un "Sung" Stories. Here, Phil tackles ten vintage blues, jazz, and gospel tunes, sometimes accompanied a small combo (or just Phil's rudimentary guitar), while on other cuts Alvin is joined by Sun Ra and his Arkestra and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, each of whom swing up a storm in their own truly individual ways. While the sound and approach of this set is a far cry from the Blasters potent take on America's musical history, Alvin's vocals ring out with a palpable joy, and he makes these musical museum pieces live and breathe like they were written last week; this album truly carries the spirit of the Blasters' wide-spectrum approach to American music into a very different direction. And while Phil may not have his brother's songwriting chops, you can't say that a man who would ask Sun Ra to arrange "The Old Man of the Mountain" and "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" and then have the courage to take the lead vocal on the same is lacking in the way of a unique personal vision. Short and sweet, Un "Sung" Stories is a true gem that's richly felt in a way a collection of "old standards" is not expected to be. Now would someone be so kind as to reissue this on CD?

Christgau:
He loves a good lyric, and if he can't write them or order them up, he has only to ransack his record collection for oldies that are just strange enough. Mixing country blues with Cab Calloway, Peetie Wheatstraw's murderous "Gangster's Blues" with a supremely mournful country song called "Collins Cave," he goes for narrative and gets it. The arrangements range from very spare to orchestral, and never mind Tower of Power–Alvin goes to Sun Ra when he wants Ellingtonia, Dirty Dozen when he wants polyphony. The only exception to all this smart stuff is a perfectly OK "Daddy Rollin' Stone." I hope it breaks AOR, I bet it won't, and I wish he didn't have to bother. A-



01 - Someone Stole Gabriel's Horn.flac
02 - Next Week Sometime.flac
03 - Ballad of Smokey Joe.flac
04 - Death in the Morning.flac
05 - Old Man of the Mountain.flac
06 - Daddy Rollin' Stone.flac
07 - Titanic Blues.flac
08 - Brother Can You Spare a Dime.flac
09 - Collins Cave.flac
10 - Gangster's Blues.flac
11 - Life Is A Ballgame.flac


No music was harmed in the making of this vinyl rip.